Will US international climate funding be cut?

The Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee Hal Rogers (R-KY) just proposed significant cuts to US international funding. While the proposal he just released doesn’t spell out the exact cuts for different programs and categories of funding, we expect that the Majority Members of the committee will recommend cuts to US international climate funding. Such cuts would be “penny wise and a pound foolish” as this funding benefits the US in many ways.

“Done right, our foreign assistance is also a key driver of helping these developing markets mature and become better places for U.S. exports and investment. Developing countries have the fastest growing economies in the world, and they are the next frontier for American businesses and products. We exported $510 billion worth of goods and services to developing countries in 2009, and the number is growing exponentially. For every 10% increase in exports, we received a 7% boost in employment at home, and 97% of businesses that benefit from exports are small-and-medium-sized enterprises.”

Benefiting farmers and ranchers through efforts to stop tropical deforestation. Agricultural expansion is a major driver of deforestation in many developing countries. When agriculture products in developing countries are sourced from deforested land and sold in the global market, they compete directly with more sustainably produced U.S. exports and impact the market price of those products throughout the world. So supporting efforts in those countries to address deforestation and illegal logging benefits US farmers and ranchers. A recent study found that U.S. farmers and ranchers would see total revenue increases of $7-9 billion per year if the U.S. joins other developed nations in investing in efforts to stop deforestation. Such investments also benefits citizens in the developing world as the study found when looking at the case in Brazil. So this is a win-win. And that doesn’t include the significant biodiversity, national security, and carbon pollution benefits of protecting tropical forests.

US funding for adaptation helps to reduce this risk by making countries less vulnerable to the impacts of global warming.

The House Appropriations committee will spend this week detailing the cuts for the remainder of the current fiscal year. Later this week President Obama will present his budget proposal to Congress for the upcoming fiscal year (FY12).